“FEAR NOT”

J. G. Wain

Luke 2: 8–14; 5: 5–11; Genesis 15: 1

I read these scriptures, dear brethren, to call attention to this expression which is in each of them, “Fear not”. I think the first may be connected with the fear of God. The second we might link with the fear of self, and the third with the fear of circumstances; but the message in each case was “Fear not”. Fear is a thing which is getting quite a problem amongst men. Of course there is a right kind of fear, we need to understand that, a right kind of reverential fear.

The first mention of fear in the scriptures is on account of sin. Adam says, “I heard thy voice in the garden, and I feared, because I am naked”, Genesis 3: 10. That is the cause, the basic cause, of this kind of fear. And of course it is right, if we are in our sins, that we should fear, for God is holy. He has never changed in His holiness and His righteousness—never. But the message in the gospel is that we are not to fear, because a Saviour has been born who is Christ the Lord. A wonderful message this was to these shepherds who were without in the country looking after their flock. They were not in the city; they were persons who could receive communications from heaven. Would that we were more like that! They were persons who were caring for what was of value in the sight of heaven. Would that we were more like that, dear brethren—I fear the influence of the city. Of course this was David’s city, Bethlehem, the royal city of David. And here was the King. His was the royal title to the throne. There was no room for Him in the inn and his cradle was just a manger where the cattle normally fed.

Now we might say, ‘That was force of circumstances. Everybody had come to Bethlehem to be registered who was of that family. It was ordained by the government that they should register in that place and the circumstances were such that there was not enough accommodation.’ But that is not all. The truth is that the manger was appointed by God as the place in which Jesus would lie. This was no mere force of circumstances; this was by deliberate choice; God chose to come this way and to draw so near to men, outside of all their activities, that He might be available to all. Really, the Heir to David’s throne should have had the best place in that inn. He should have had the best rooms reserved. But there was no room—no room! And that is the way, and these are the circumstances, into which Jesus came that He might win our hearts and that He might show us the way that God works, not through the high circles of men, not by anything that would contribute to what men might do, but in lowly grace. He came into circumstances of poverty and smallness. We sang in that hymn of Mr. Darby—

‘O strange yet fit beginning

Of all that life of woe’

I wonder if we are in keeping with that. As I say, I fear the influence and the tendencies of the city, that system that is set up by man to make him self-sufficient. Its danger is that we may be coloured by self-sufficiency, and occupied with all that goes on in the city and thus miss the communications that those who are outside the city receive. We might perhaps look for the best room in the inn, and find that Jesus is not there at all, because the inn would speak to us of the provision that men make for themselves, for their own comfort and satisfaction, and Jesus was outside of it all.

I was impressed by that this morning, a very simple impression but it is very real, that He was here, as Mr. Darby’s hymn which we sang says—‘A houseless, homeless Stranger’. Now that was not just haphazard, because nothing with God is haphazard, but it is to teach us something. The life of Jesus would demonstrate to us our position in the world where He was rejected. He has marked out a path in which, in faith, we are called upon to follow Him. It was outside of all man’s organization—a manger. I can think of nothing more lowly in all that city of Bethlehem than a manger. And there was Jesus. Luke’s presentation is most attractive. Luke is presenting the grace of a Man who draws so near that anyone could approach. You see, if it had been in a palace a man might say—‘Well, I cannot go there’. But a manger—anyone could have gone and found the Saviour there. And this is the way divine grace has taken.

You will notice that it says in verse 9, “the glory of the Lord shone around them” not only was the angel of the Lord there, but there was the divine presence, “the glory of the Lord”, and it shone around them. But the message was, “Fear not”. Oh! there is the Saviour, and He is the answer to fear. If we have a fear as to meeting God on account of what we have done, on account of our sins, the message in the glad tidings is—“Fear not”, because there are glad tidings of great joy. There was a Saviour here born who was to resolve the question of our sins, who was going to die on the cross. His life, as we have sung, commended at every step the grace of God to man in all his need, conveying the grace of God drawing near to men in all their circumstances of pressure and suffering, but, more than that, the cross witnessing to His love. He, voluntarily, took our place to bear the penalty and judgment due to us, that we might go free. So the message is, “Fear not”.

God has provided Himself with a Saviour. Jesus has come into the circumstances and limitations of humanity, and He has come in in such a way, an appointed way of weakness and lowliness, humility, and outward reproach. And having lived that life under the eye of the Father to His perfect satisfaction and delight, He surrendered that life on the cross and bore the judgment that was due to the sinner. He being free of sin Himself (sin having no place in Jesus) He being absolutely holy, took the sinner’s place, and in my place and in your place He bore the full judgment of God against sin, that God “should be just, and justify him that is of the faith of Jesus”, Romans 3: 26. “Fear not”. What a message that is Glad tidings of great joy!

The question that had troubled men through the centuries, through generations, was now to be resolved. And it was resolved on the cross. Men may celebrate His birth, thank God if there is any recognition of the joy that it brought. But everything really depended on His death. Jesus died. That life of sinless perfection was laid down, surrendered. His precious blood flowed from His side, the blood speaking of the life surrendered, the blood without which, Scripture says, there is no remission. That precious blood is the basis on which God can forgive the sinner and justify and bring him into His presence. That work is done. The word is, “Fear not”. Oh think of the feelings of God entering into the glad tidings! We see it in Luke’s gospel on every page; the compassion that moved Jesus, the feelings of His heart towards man. God does not want us to be afraid. Why should we be afraid when Jesus has borne the penalty and has conveyed to us in His every movement here the exceeding grace of God that would draw so near to us, right alongside of us in our need, and would give us the assurance of a work that is completed—give us the assurance of an eternity of joy and blessedness with Him in heaven?

Now I refer to the scripture in Luke 5 because this may become a problem with us. Peter was convicted in the presence of Christ that he was a man full of sin. It might cause fear when we realise the propensities of the flesh. Paul says, “I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, good does not dwell”, Romans 7: 18. We have to come to this in our histories. And Peter is brought to this, he finds and discovers what he is in himself as a wretched, sinful man, able to do nothing good of himself, full of his own wretchedness. We need to come to that, what the flesh is, the total unreliability, the total wretchedness, of the flesh in all its activities. Peter came to it in the presence of the goodness of God, the presence of the power of Jesus, realising who was there. At the word of Jesus they had such a haul of fishes and the net broke. And yet you see what is suggested in this, that whilst Peter was so convicted of his state and the wretchedness of the man that he was, he is held and attracted to Jesus.

Oh that we might prove this, that whilst recognizing the irrecoverable nature of the flesh, of man, the wickedness, the deception that is in the human heart, we might be held consciously and attracted to Jesus. He says, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.” He felt what he was, but he fell at Jesus’ knees. I believe there would be a suggestion there as to the necessity of the service of Christ as the High Priest for our full emancipation and deliverance—our full salvation. And then the words come from Him, “Fear not”. Oh we might sometimes fear when we realize the weakness and wretchedness of the flesh, but our salvation, dear friends, is in attachment to Jesus. Peter did not go away. He felt his on unsuitability and yet he is held in the power of attraction to that glorious Man, in all the matchless character of His grace as moving amongst men, making healing and blessing available to all.

Peter is held by the attractiveness of Jesus in the consciousness of the need that he has of His service to support him and to sustain him, as he is later in his history when the Lord says, “Behold, Satan has demanded to have you, to sift you as wheat; but I have besought for thee that thy faith fail not”, Luke 22: 31, 32. He stands out as a sample man. Mr. Taylor spoke of him as a sample man and I believe we are all here as a result of the service of Christ in this way, intercessory service, service in the presence of weakness, to hold us to God’s call in grace.

Oh how wonderful it is, that we might be conscious of this in some sense, that we are not to fear, even these circumstances are not to cause us fear, but they are to cause us to be firmly attached to the Saviour who will serve us all the way home—and the Saviour who is living to intercede—the Saviour who is living at this moment in relation to His own. That is to dispel all fear; we can trust in confidence in the power of the One who has begun a work in us, who has died for us, and secured us by His precious blood. That same Person is living to intercede for us that we might be saved completely, “Whence also he is able to save completely those who approach by Him to God, always living to intercede for them”, Hebrews 7: 25. That means saved now, so that in the presence of all the weakness that we may find within, His own work may proceed in power on account of His service on high, and the presence of the Spirit here.

Now I refer briefly to Genesis because here we get another injunction not to fear. “After these things the word of Jehovah came to Abram … Fear not, Abram”. It is when he had renounced any link, in type, with the world, when in the previous chapter he had refused to receive anything from the king of Sodom. It is then that this word comes to Abram, “I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward”. Oh, dear friends, what God is prepared to be to us as we receive His word! A Saviour indeed, a Saviour from our sins, a living High Priest to save us from ourselves and the activities of the flesh. But then, also, a Saviour in relation to our circumstances here. God says, “I am thy shield”.

A shield is a protection against any attack of the enemy. Think of God saying, ‘Do not be afraid’. The enemy loves to put thoughts of fear, and doubts, into the hearts of God’s people; that is his work. He sometimes says, when we are young, ‘Well, if I am very definite in these circumstances now, I may fail later—I may let the Lord down’. God says, “Fear not, I am thy shield”. We can find a resort in our God. He will protect us from all the efforts of the enemy, from all the power of the enemy. He is our Shield, and He says, “thy exceeding great reward”. Is not that a comfort? Do we know God like that? I think we should know Him more like this as the days go on. Not just what He may do for us, but what He is. He has come so near to us in Jesus that we might know Him. He says, “I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward”.

After Abraham had made this stand against all the enticements of the world, God was made known to him in this way. Separation from evil, separation from the world, in itself is not an object. It is a necessity, but the objective in view is that we might know God in this way. God is ready to be our reward, as the Spirit of God records in Hebrews, “He is a rewarder of them who seek him out”, Hebrews 11: 6. What a rewarder God is! It is not on the ground of our merit. Oh no! It is on the ground of His matchless grace, on the ground of His sovereign mercy, that He can be a reward to His people, giving compensation and comfort. There is no need to fear—“Fear not”. This element of fear would be dispelled in the knowledge of the God who has come so near to us.

Fear is becoming a problem in the world. There are people going to the doctors day after day, more and more, because of fear. There are special tranquillising drugs, which are in short supply in some parts, because men are getting filled with fear and apprehension. The answer is in God. The word in the glad tidings is, “Fear not, for behold I announce to you glad tidings of great joy”. Peter in chapter 5 of Luke was not to fear, because there was someone, a mighty High Priest, living to support and help, and then the reward, if we are faithful, is in God Himself. I believe, dear friends, that if we follow this, the element of fear will be banished, and we shall find the peace and the joy with which God delights to fill the souls of those who love Him.

Well, may we be encouraged in the fact that fear has been dispelled by the God who has come so near in Jesus, and may our knowledge of Him be increased in the circumstances which He may allow, and which He allows to come upon all men, circumstances of pressure, disappointment, difficulty; they are all, for the christian, calculated to increase our confidence in God and our knowledge of the God who is so near in Jesus. May the word be blessed to us, for His name’s sake.

Preaching at Rijswijk, Holland
23 December 1973